University of Minnesota volleyball senior captain Ashley Wittman was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, announced today by the league office. It is Wittman's sixth career weekly conference honor and first in the defensive category. She previously received weekly honors three times as a freshman and twice as a sophomore.

Wittman, a 6-foot outside hitter, led the Gopher offensive and defensive charge as Minnesota swept Indiana and No. 20 Purdue this past weekend. The senior captain had nine kills and tied a match-high eight digs in the win over the Hoosiers, en route to her 1,500th-career kill. On Sunday, Wittman added her fifth double-double of the season when she established match-highs in both kills (15) and digs (14). On the weekend, Wittman led the team with 24 kills, 22 digs (3.67 per set), and 29.5 points, while she ranked second with 10 blocks (1.67 per set). The six-rotation player also hit .339 to open Big Ten play.

The Golden Gophers travel to No. 12 Nebraska on Oct. 4 and Iowa, Oct. 5. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. Friday's game against the Huskers will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, while Saturday's tilt against the Hawkeyes is available on the Gopher All-Access video feed.